New Orleans Attorney Pleads Guilty To Bank Theft

HILLIARD FAZANDE, III (“FAZANDE”), age 50, of New Orleans, Louisiana, pled guilty today to bank theft, announced United States Attorney Duane A. Evans.

According to court documents, on October 26, 2015, FAZANDE opened a bank account at the Whitney branch located at 3001 Holiday Drive in New Orleans, Louisiana.  On October 30, 2015, FAZANDE endorsed and deposited a TD Bank $387,000 cashier’s check made payable to “Attorney Hilliard C. Fazande III” into his account at the Whitney branch located at 3001 Holiday Drive in New Orleans, Louisiana.  On October 31, 2015, FAZANDE went to the Whitney branch located at 8300 Louisiana Highway 23 in Belle Chasse, Louisiana and presented a bank teller with a temporary Whitney check in the amount of $5,000.00 knowing that he did not have sufficient funds to cover the transaction due to a bank hold on the $387,000.00 check.  On October 31, 2015, FAZANDE, while at the Whitney branch located at 8300 Louisiana Highway 23 in Belle Chasse, Louisiana, made a $5,000.00 cash withdrawal from his account.  On November 4, 2015, a Whitney employee contacted FAZANDE and advised him that the $387,000.00 check was counterfeit and that he must return the $5,000.00 he withdrew.  FAZANDE never returned the money to the Whitney Bank.

FAZANDE faces a sentence of up to ten (10) years imprisonment, followed by a term of supervised release of up to three (3) years, and a $250,000.00 fine. 

FAZANDE will be sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Nannette Jolivette Brown on June 28, 2018.

U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in investigating this matter.  The prosecution of this case is being handled by Fraud Section Chief, Assistant U. S. Attorney Brian M. Klebba.